Cosmetic tape, applicator therefor and method

ABSTRACT

An adhesive tape and method for use thereof in non-surgically taking a tuck in loose skin such as that comprising the upper eyelid. When applied to a drooping upper eyelid by stretching the skin of the eyelid away from ciliary margin, applying a precut, preshaped tape to the eyelid, and then folding the skin of the upper eyelid down to be attached to the other side of the tape and then back upon itself, a pseudo upper blepharoplasty is effected, which can be left in place for extended periods of time, thus avoiding surgery. The adhesive strip has a backing and adhesive such as to make the strip very thin, very soft and pliable, strong, tear resistant, easily conformed to body contours, non-irritating and water resistant. An applicator device having a receiving surface for releasably holding the adhesive strip to facilitate the applying of the strip to the skin surface.

This application is a continuation-in-part of parent application Ser.No. 440,846 filed Nov. 12, 1982 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,347 on aCosmetic Tape and Method.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to precut, preshaped adhesive tape stripsor members for application to an upper eyelid to retain a fold in theskin thereof, an applicator device for facilitating placement of such anadhesive member on the skin surface of the eyelid, and a method for useof the tape strip in nonsurgically taking a tuck in loose skin, such asat the upper eyelid.

A cutaway drawing through the upper eyelid is shown in FIG. 1. The uppereyelid, generally indicated as 10, moves down over the eyeball 12 whenthe eyes are closed, and retracts over the cornea 14 to expose the iris16 and pupilary opening 18 when the eye is open. The skin of the uppereyelid 10 along the ciliary margin 20 is held relatively rigid by a thinstrip of cartilage known as the tarsal plate 22. The skin above theciliary margin 20 is thin and supple and tends to fold at what isreferred to as the supra tarsal fold 24.

Particularly as part of the natural aging process, the skin of the uppereyelid can sag or droop into positions such as those shown ghosted andlabelled 26 in FIG. 1. The result is a bagging or festooning of theupper eyelid as shown in FIG. 2. A similar condition occurs naturally inthe eyes of many persons of Oriental extraction due to a difference ineye physiology.

When the natural or developed droop reaches the lower ghosted position26 of FIG. 1 adjacent the eyelashes 28, several things can happen.First, the actual vision above the horizontal can be affected. That is,merely rotating the eyeball 12 in an upward direction does not provide aview in that direction since the line of vision is covered by thedrooped portion 26 of the eyelid 10. Even without the reduced vision,the natural puffiness and droop in the non-Oriental eye tends to makethe associated eye (and, therefore, the person) look older.Additionally, in women, it can interfere with the application of eyemakeup.

Statistically, there are at least 44 million women over the age of 40 inthe United States alone. It can be assumed that a drooping conditionsuch as that shown in FIG. 2 is of some bother to at least a substantialportion of them. The condition can be corrected surgically in the mannershown in FIGS. 3 and 4. And, in fact, several hundred thousand people ayear have the procedure shown therein performed to alleviate thecondition. As shown in FIG. 3, a strip 30 of the upper eyelid 10 issurgically removed along with some of the fat beneath the strip 30. Thesides of the wound are then sutured together as shown in FIG. 4, thusremoving a portion of the excess skin above the upper eyelid 10 therebyremoving the droop shown in FIG. 2. Such a procedure is referred to asan upper blepharoplasty.

The above-described procedure is neither inconsequential norinexpensive. For most of the persons afflicted with drooping eyes suchas that shown in FIG. 2, the condition remains one of annoyance eitherdue to lack of funds for the surgery or a lack of desire or willingnessto have the surgery itself.

Wherefore, it is the object of the present invention to provide a tapestrip member and applicator device therefor and method for providing anon-surgical temporary pseudo upper blepharoplasty.

An object of the invention is to provide an adhesive strip member foreffecting a temporary pseudo upper blepharoplasty and an applicatordevice facilitating the placement of such an adhesive tape member on aneyelid.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of applying anadhesive strip member to an eyelid for non-surgically taking a tuck inthe loose skin of the eyelid.

Another object of the invention is to provide an adhesive strip memberincluding a thin pliable transparent backing material and adhesivecarried on opposite side surfaces of said backing material, said backingmaterial and adhesive being cut and shaped to a predeterminedconfiguration to be compatible with the three dimensional skin surfaceconfiguration of an eyelid and folds of skin to be formed therein.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an applicatordevice for facilitating the placement of such an adhesive strip memberon the skin surfaces of an eyelid, said applicator device including ahandle portion of generally stiff material and an applicator portionlaterally offset from the handle portion, the applicator portion havinga release material on a strip receiving surface thereon for cooperationwith the adhesive on the adhesive strip member.

SUMMARY

The foregoing objective of effecting a temporary blepharoplasty has beenaccomplished by the method of the invention described and claimed insaid application, U.S. Ser. No. 440,846, filed Nov. 12, 1982. The stepsof the method include stretching the skin of the upper eyelid upwardaway from the ciliary margin thereby unfolding the natural super tarsalfold. While the skin is stretched, attaching one side of a narrow,curved, adhesive strip member of this invention having adhesive on bothsides to the skin of the upper eyelid and extending substantiallybetween the medial and lateral canthi with its bottom edge spaced abovethe ciliary margin about 8-12 mm and/or with its top edge above theinner fold line of the natural super tarsal fold. The tape strip memberhas a backing of hypo-allergenic material and adhesive such as to makethe strip very thin, very soft and pliable, strong, tear resistant,easily conformed to body contours, non-irritating, and water resistant.The skin of the upper eyelid is folded down over the adhesive strip andattached to the exposed adhesive on the other side of the adhesivestrip; and, the folded skin of the upper eyelid folded back upon itselfwith its edge along the bottom edge of the adhesive strip to form anartificial super tarsal fold which is deeper and higher than the naturalfold. The application of the tape strip is facilitated by the use of anapplicator device which releasably carries the tape strip to the eyelid.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a detailed cutaway drawing of a side view of an upper eyelid.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a left eye having a bagged or festooned uppereyelid.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the steps of the prior art surgical technique ofblepharoplasty used to correct the condition of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a simplified drawing of a side view through an eyeball and theeyelids showing the non-surgical technique of the present invention forforming a temporary pseudo upper blepharoplasty.

FIGS. 6-8 show the steps of performing the method of present inventionon a right eye to accomplish the result of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a drawing showing a left eye following the procedures of FIGS.6-8.

FIGS. 10-12 are simplified drawings through a segment of loose skinshowing the general technique and method of the present invention forproducing a non-surgical tuck in the skin.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the adhesive strips of the present inventionin their preferred embodiment.

FIG. 14 is an end view of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged cutaway view of FIG. 14 in the area designated.

FIG. 16 is a view similar to FIG. 7 and illustrates the use of anapplicator device embodying this invention in positioning the tape stripmember on the surface of the right eyelid.

FIG. 17 is an elevational view of the applicator device shown in FIG.16.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a modification of the applicator deviceas shown in FIGS. 16 and 17.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The description which follows hereinafter is with respect to the method,apparatus and applicator device of the present invention as applied toproviding a temporary psuedo upper blepharoplasty. It should berecognized that the technique and materials shown can also be used forany application where it is desired to take a non-surgical tuck in looseskin. Thus, it is envisioned that the technique and materials discussedherein can be used, for example, by plastic and reconstructive surgeonsfor demonstrating to potential patients an approximation of the effectwhich will be obtained by surgery as well as by theatre makeup artistsand the like in producing desired temporary visual effects.

Turning first to FIG. 5, a simplified drawing through the upper eyelid10 in conjunction with an eyeball 12 is shown, depicting the desiredobjective of the present invention; that is, if the natural super tarsalfold in the upper eyelid 10 is replaced by a deeper artificial supertarsal fold, an effective tuck will be taken in the loose skin of theupper eyelid 10. According to the present invention, a very thin stripof double-sided adhesive tape 32 generally less than 1 cm in width and 4cm in length is attached to the upper eyelid 10 with the bottom edgespaced about 8-12 mm above the ciliary margin 20 and/or the top edgeabove the fold line of the natural super tarsal fold. The skin above theadhesive strip 32 is then folded down and then back upon itself as shownin FIG. 5 with the bottom edge of the skin aligned along the bottom edgeof the tape strip 32. The adhesive strip 32 maintains the deeper andhigher artificial super tarsal fold thus formed in the desired position.

Turning now to FIGS. 6 through 8, the technique is shown in greaterdetail. In FIG. 6, with the eye closed, the skin of the upper eyelid 10is stretched away from the ciliary margin 20 thus unfolding the naturalsuper tarsal fold, which is indicated by the dashed line labelled 24.The area which would normally be removed in an actual surgicalblepharoplasty is indicated by the dotted line 30 for reference. Forpurposed of understanding, the eye shown in FIGS. 6-8 is a right eyesuch that the medial canthus is to the viewer's right and the lateralcanthus is to the viewer's left. With the skin stretched as in FIG. 6, acurved double-sided adhesive strip 32 is attached on its one side to theskin on the upper eyelid 10 as shown in FIG. 7. From repeated testapplications, it has been determined that the sizing and configurationshown in FIG. 7 produces a desired result for a specific individual. Thestrip 32 can be positioned easily in either, or both, of two ways; withthe bottom edge spaced from the ciliary margin 20 a given distance suchas, for example, 8 to 12 mm and/or with the top edge of the strip 32above the natural supra tarsal fold line 24. The adhesive strip 32 inits preferred embodiment is curved along the natural line of the ciliarymargin 20 when the eye is opened. It is sized in length to fit betweenthe two canthi as indicated by the two vertical dotted lines 34. In theaverage eye this distance is approximately 33 millimeters, such that alength for the adhesive strip 32 in that approximate amount ispreferable. A maximum width of the strip 32 of less than one centimeterand approximately 5 millimeters has been found to give preferableresults with a slight tapering towards the medial canthis.

With the adhesive strip 32 in place, the skin of the upper eyelid 10 ispulled gently down over the adhesive strip 32 and evenly attachedthereto aligned with the bottom edge, after which it is folded back uponitself. This is shown in FIG. 8. This results in a thin tuck line at 36which is raised and evenly spaced from the ciliary margin 20. As can beseen in FIG. 9, the result is an eye with reduced bagging of the uppereyelid 10 and with a uniform distance between the tuck line 36 and theciliary margin 20. The artificial super tarsal fold thus created isdeeper and higher and takes up a portion of the undesired skin of theupper eyelid 10. It has been found that after a period of wearing theadhesive strip 32 as thus positioned, once it is removed, the artificialsuper tarsal fold remains for a period of time without the necessity ofthe adhesive strip 32.

The general technique of the present invention with respect to taking anon-surgical tuck in any loose skin is shown in simplified form in FIGS.10-12. Assume that it is desired to take a tuck in the skin 38 along aline as indicated by the arrow 40. The tuckline 40 can be straightcurved, as desired. A double-sided adhesive strip 32 or a type to bedescribed in greater detail hereinafter is attached along one of itsadhesive surfaces to the skin 38 adjacent the intended tuck line 40. Theskin on the other side of the tuck line 40, generally indicated as 42,is folded over the adhesive strip 32 to adhere to the exposed adhesivesurface thereof. Fold skin 42 is then folded back upon itself as shownin FIG. 12 to create the desired tuck in the skin.

The adhesive strip of the present invention in its preferred embodimentwill now be discussed in greater detail. Turning to FIGS. 13 and 14, thepreferred embodiment of the present invention for use in practicing themethod of pseudo blepharoplasty is shown. A release surfaced liner sheet44 has a plurality of pre-formed adhesive strips 46 including a peel-offliner 48 attached thereto. The construction of each strip 46 is shown ingreater detail at FIG. 15. The liner sheet 44 is preferably of a heavierpaper or cardboard with a suitable surface at 50 to allow the pre-formedstrips 46 to be easily removed therefrom without reducing their adhesivequalities. Each pre-formed strip 46 comprises an extremely thin backing52 having adhesive 54 attached to either side thereof, and with a split,peel-off liner 48 on the outer surface. The peel-off liner 48 ispreferably of a type which is split in the middle with an overlap as at56. This allows the liner 48 to be easily removed from the outeradhesive 54 when the strip 46 is attached to the skin of the uppereyelid 10 by the opposite adhesive surface. To properly achieve theobjects of the present invention, the backing 52 and adhesive 54 must bechosen such as to make the strip very thin, very soft and pliable,strong, tear resistant, easily conformed to body contours,non-irritating, and water resistant.

In further detail it should be noted that an exemplary strip 32 maycomprise a backing material of transparent film or of film dyed to asuitable skin tone for cosmetic purposes. Such backing material may havea thickness of 1.5 mils. and in some instances the thickness may includefilm from 1 to 3 mils. One example of a suitable backing material isthat made by Shur Medical Co., and is a breathable medical tape havingsubstantially uniform strength in all directions. The backing iscomposed of randomly oriented nylon filaments fused at cross-over pointsand is laminated on both sides with a porous layer of pressure sensitiveacrylate adhesive which is permeable to air and moisture and providesgood adhesive strength. The strip so formed is skin conformable, resistscurling and eliminates inadvertent tape dislodgements from the skinsurface. The backing material and the adhesive is hypoallergenic with noirritation potential to the skin surface. Such a backing material andadhesive substance permits moisture to pass through the interstices ofthe backing material which reduces moisture on the skin surface beneaththe strip which is antithetical to bacterial growth. Such a porous stripmember provides a strip member which may be left in position for arelatively long period of time, such as, from one to several days.

Another example of a strip member 32 suitable for use in the presentinvention is that made by the Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co. (3M)of St. Paul, Minn. under specification No. 1512-3 of August, 1981. Insuch a 3M tape, the strip material may comprise a backing material oftransparent polyethylene film having a thickness of 1.5 mils. Theadhesive coating or lamina on each side surface of the backing materialmay be a hypoallergenic, synthetic, acrylate based pressure sensitiveadhesive. The thickness of the backing material and the adhesive laminaon opposite side surfaces thereof may result in a thickness of about 3mils. The backing material of polyethylene film in the 3M example isgenerally occlusive and is suitable for use for relatively short periodsof time.

Liner sheet 44 may be a skin bleached two-sided silicone treatedpolyethylene coated paper of a suitable basis weight.

Examples of strip members 32 as described above comprising a backingmaterial and adhesive lamina may be cut into a shape to provide anelongated strip of varying width with curved or arcuate longitudinaledges to readily conform to the three dimensional contours or shape ofthe skin forming the upper eyelid. The ends of the elongated stripmember 32 are blunted to prevent any sharpness which might causediscomfort when the strip member 32 is in position on an eyelid. Thewider portion of the strip member is placed adjacent the lateral canthiwhere the loose excess skin is greater.

While in many instances the adhesive laminae applied to both faces ofthe backing material may be the same and have the same adhesionproperties, in other instances, the adhesion strength on one side of thebacking material may be greater than on the other side to facilitateretention of the tarsal fold.

While the strip member 32 provides cosmetic treatment of the eyelids,the use of strip member 32 is not limited to cosmetic purposes. It hasbeen found that application of the strip member 32 to the upper eyelidtends to relieve the feeling of tired eyes and also improves the fieldof view of the eye. The feeling of tired eyes is usually accompanied bya drooping or sagging of the upper eyelid. Application of strip member32 under such tired eye conditions and particularly when driving atnight tends to stimulate a feeling of alertness and relief from thetired eye feeling.

Practice of the method of this invention, namely, attaching one side ofan adhesive strip member having adhesive on both sides along one surfaceof the intended tuck area, folding the skin of the intended tuck areaover the adhesive strip and attaching it to the exposed adhesive on theother side of the adhesive strip is facilitated by the use of anapplicator device as shown in FIGS. 16, 17 and 18. FIG. 16 is similar toFIG. 7 in the illustration of the pulling back of the loose upper eyelidskin 10 by a finger and positioning of strip member 32 on the eyelidskin surface substantially as shown in FIG. 7. In FIG. 16, the stripmember 32 is shown as being applied by an applicator device 70.

Applicator device 70 (FIGS. 16, 17) comprises an elongated member havinga handle portion 71 with a longitudinal applicator portion 72 extendingfrom each end of the handle portion. Each applicator portion 72 isoffset laterally from the axis of handle portion 71 and may extend inthe direction of said axis. Applicator portion 72 includes an endsection 73 having a slightly convex receiving surface 74 against whichis positioned a preshaped strip member 32 prior to application to aneyelid. The receiving surface 74 is treated with a coating of suitablerelease material so that strip member 32 may be readily separated fromsurface 74 when it is transferred to the skin surface of an eyelid. Theend 75 of each end section 73 may be blunt to avoid injury to oraggravation of the eyelid skin during use of the applicator.

In the applicator device shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the provision of twoapplicator portions 72 on opposite ends of handle portion 71 facilitateseasy, quick application of strip members 32 to the right and lefteyelids since the applicator device can be prepared with a strip member32 on each applicator portion and the strip members may then be readilysequentially transferred to the two eyelids.

The applicator device 70 is readily used as generally indicated in FIG.16. When one finger has lifted the loose eyelid skin 10, the applicatordevice carrying a strip member 32 on the end section thereof may bereadily manipulated by the other hand to place the strip member 32 onthe surface of the eyelid as previously described. The three dimensionalcurvature of the end section 73 facilitates placement of the stripmember 32 on the three dimensional curvature of the eyelid. Suchplacement may be made by lowering the end section onto the eyelid so asto simultaneously press all areas of the strip member against the eyelidfor adhesion thereto. In some eyelid configurations, it may be desiredto place one end of strip member 32 on the eyelid surface adjacent themedial canthi and then progressively lay and lightly press the stripmember on the remaining eyelid by rocking movement of the handle (orvisa versa). When the strip member has been fully engaged with the skinsurface of the eyelid, the adhesion to the eyelid is sufficiently strongto permit the applicator end section 73 to be detached from the stripmember by lifting the end section off the strip member. The releasecoating on the receiving surface 74 facilitates this release. Theredundant eyelid skin 10 may then be laid over the strip member aspreviously described.

In FIG. 18 a different modification of the applicator device is shown.In this example, handle portion 71' is elongated and straight. At oneend, an applicator portion 72' is provided having an end section 73' ofa configuration similar to that of end section 73. The end section 73'is provided with a receiving surface 74 having a suitable releasecoating thereon to permit ready detachment of a strip member 32 whichmay be applied thereto as described above with respect to applicatordevice 70. The length of handle portion 71' is selected to facilitateholding of the applicator device by a hand.

Optionally, the liner 48 can be pre-marked with curved strip patterns tobe handcut out and/or modified, or be made with a surface for tracingpatterns thereupon at time of use for cutting and/or modifying.

Thus, from the foregoing description, it can be seen that the method,adhesive strip member, and applicator of the present invention allows anon-surgical tuck to be taken in loose skin in general and, moreparticularly, in the upper eyelid to accomplish a temporary pseudo upperblepharoplasty.

It will be readily apparent that various modifications and changes maybe made in the strip member 32 in the applicator devices 70 and 70' andin the method which falls within the spirit of this invention and allsuch changes and modifications coming within the scope of the appendedclaims are embraced thereby.

I claim:
 1. A precut shaped, tape strip member for non-surgically takinga tuck in loose foldable skin of an upper eyelid with three dimensionalskin surfaces in juxtaposed relation, such as in a tuck in an uppereyelid to effect a temporary pseudo upper blepharoplasty, comprising incombination:a backing material which is thin, in the order of 1 to 3mils., transparent, pliable, hypo-allergenic and adapted to conform tosaid skin surfaces, said backing material having side surfaces, a widthof approximately 1 centimeter, a length approximately 5 centimeters,side edges curved over a major portion of their length to provide aconvex side edge and an opposite concave side edge, and adapted to bepositioned between the medial and lateral canthus and above the ciliarymargin of an eyelid; and an adhesive on both side surfaces adapted toreleasably adhere to said opposed skin surfaces; said backing materialwith said adhesive thereon being shaped to have adhesive areas ofvarying width throughout the length thereof to adapt said strip memberto said juxtaposed three dimensional skin surfaces and to maintain avirtually unnoticeable line across the upper eyelid at the folded skin;said strip member being concealable between the folded skin.
 2. A stripmember as stated in claim 1 wherein the shape of said member includes atleast one longitudinal edge curved to correspond to the ciliary marginof an eyelid.
 3. An adhesive concealable tape strip to effect atemporary pseudo upper blepharoplasty in which loose redundant foldedeyelid skin is retained in folded unpressured relation to raise theciliary margin of an upper eyelid relative to the eye, comprising:a thinbacking material which is hypo-allergenic, soft, pliable, strong, tearresistant, and of elongated tapered shape and precut to easily conformto skin surfaces of three dimensional configuration, said backingmaterial being in the form of a short narrow elongated strip about 1centimeter in width and about 5 centimeters in length; said narrow striphaving side edges curved in the same direction for a major centralportion of their length; and a pressure sensitive adhesive laminaattached to each side of said backing material, said adhesive laminaadhering to said skin surfaces, and being water resistant, andnon-irritating while also being releasable from skin surfaces withminimum irritation and difficulty.
 4. A tape strip as stated in claim 3whereinsaid backing is in the form of a short narrow elongated stripless than one centimeter in width and less than 5 centimeters in length.5. An adhesive tape strip as stated in claim 3 whereinan edge of saidbacking material is curved to follow the line of the ciliary margin ofan open eye, is about one centimeter in width at the widest pointlocated adjacent the lateral canthus and tapers towards the medialcanthus, and is about five centimeters in length.
 6. An adhesive tapestrip as stated in claim 3 whereinthe adhesive on one side surface ofsaid strip has adhering characteristics to skin greater than theadhesive substance on the opposite side surface of said strip.